Author Archives: Jen

About Jen

Jen isn't quite sure when she lost her mind, but it is probably documented here on Meditatio. She blogs because the world needs her snark at all hours of the night... and she probably can't sleep anyway.

7 Quick Takes — TV Edition

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7 Quick Takes

There has been some good TV this week and as I’ve done enough updating on my so-called life already, I figured I’d give y’all my thoughts on what I’ve watched.

— 1 —

Judge Judy. Nothing new with this one — I’ve just gotten addicted to watching her. I saw an interview with her a few months ago and her philosophy is that if you’ve graduated from high school and are working and trying to live your life decently, she’s chill with that. Her problem comes when people make choices that aren’t wise and that hurt other people. I love her sternness, her wit, and the fact that she doesn’t suffer fools gladly. She’s also a good source of ideas for my NaNo piece.

— 2 —

Hart of Dixie. This isn’t in the class of CSI or NCIS but it’s been a new addiction for me. I don’t think I ever watched anything with Rachel Bilson before and I happened to see ads for this randomly while channel-surfing and watching NUMB3RS. I love the contrast of the Zoe Hart and Lemon Breeland characters.

— 3 —

NCIS. Serious goosebumps when they were off-loading Quincy’s body and the Marines were saluting. (I may be a flaming liberal but I am patriotic and I do believe that we need to treat our fallen heroes with dignity.) It was a lovely two-part episode. Other highlights were the flashbacks with Gibbs and Matteson when they were at basic training and seeing what Di Nozzo’s greatest fear was.

— 4 —

NCIS:LA. It was a tough episode to watch because of the brutality and I genuinely felt sorry for Jada in the end. It also made me wonder if Ruben, one of my seminary classmates from Sudan, was still alive. He was getting his MTS in Old Testament at Trinity and I used to word process his papers for him (all 30 pages). He went back to Sudan to be an Anglican bishop for the Diocese of Renk in what I think would now be South Sudan. At the time, he had a wife (Grace) who was my age (21 at the time) and a 2 year old son.

— 5 —

CSI. Powerful writing for the episode last night (Wednesday), especially when the killer turned out to be Detective Vega — one of the good guys for 8 seasons. Seeing Nick tell Russell (the Ted Danson character who I like) to stop working on the murderer that Vega was trying to drown and instead focus on Vega was very well done and I continue to like the character of Morgan Brody.

— 6 —

The Big Bang Theory. OMG… “Relationship Agreement” between Amy and Sheldon tonight!!!!!! I also loved the Warlords of Ka’a expansion pack that was “Wild West and Witches”. Best line: “Like shooting nerds in a barrel.” My college friends were the guys on the show (math/compsci/engineering geeks who did role-playing games) so this show is endlessly amusing.

— 7 —

NUMB3RS. What can I say? I like crime dramas. It’s not my favorite one but it keeps my attention.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

You Know You’re The Mom of A Developmentally Delayed Kid…

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Daniel had a pediatrics appointment today. After it was over, I seriously felt like I should be putting together a “You Know You’re A _____ If” list. So without further adieu…

You know you’re the mother of a developmentally delayed kid when…

[+] You rejoice because your kid is at the 25th percentile for height/weight/head circumference because they can finally plot the points on their growth chart.
[+] You can succinctly describe your horrendous pregnancy and birth experience in under 10 words but most of them have three or more syllables.
[+] The sight of your kid walking at 2.5 years old makes their pediatrician clap with joy because, dude, this is HUGE.
[+] You aren’t fazed by your kid’s abysmal MRI results because you got the report six months ago and your child’s physical therapist from Easter Seals talked you off the (figurative) ledge at that point.
[+] Your child’s pediatrician tells you that your child’s brain has many abnormalities (see “MRI results above”) and will never be like the brains of other kids their age. Your response: “We’ll see” while thinking to yourself that your child has a habit of defying predictions like these.
[+] Those abysmal MRI results get you a consult to every specialist you ask to see.
[+] Your child has more specialists in their lives than most hospitals have on staff. (Josh’s mother Susan is my former IV area director.)

Now for the ones that don’t apply to the peds appointment today!

[+] You know that you will cry when your child turns three and (in California) you lose your Easter Seals therapists. (Under the Lanterman Act in California, your child becomes the problem of their local school district once they turn three.)
[+] All your child’s developmental milestones are VERY BIG DEALS!!!!!!!
[+] You have stories from the NICU, PICU, and Peds wards of the hospital.
[+] You’ve had to explain to people why your kid is not waving at them, why your kid does not need a children’s menu, or why your kid isn’t doing ____ when other kids their age can do it.
[+] You finally just learned how to (joyfully) suppress the urge to say “Bite me!” to the person who asks the third question on that last item. (OK… again this is probably just me.)
[+] It makes you happy when people acknowledge your child/have a normal conversation with them instead of talking over them.
[+] You read the blogs of other mothers who have kids with developmental delays/Down’s Syndrome/autism spectrum disorders and can identify with their posts.

Potato Soup

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I made potato soup today. The most labor-intensive part was dicing the potatoes. I also overestimated the number I would need so I have a couple extra big russet ones. Oh well. The recipe I used is here.

The changes I made:

-low sodium chicken broth
-5 cups of 2% milk instead of the half-and-half
-margarine instead of butter

It still tasted great even with these changes and I yielded probably 15 cups of soup instead of 12 because of the added milk. I kept a little bit for the refrigerator and froze 11 cups in quart-sized freezer bags. (They were out of pint-sized ones.)

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: November 14, 2011

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY November 14, 2011

Outside my window… night and supposed to be a bit chilly.

I am thinking… that I’m pretty exhausted even though it’s only 7:05 p.m.

I am thankful… that “Hart of Dixie” is on tonight.

From the learning rooms… speech therapy today.

In the kitchen… potato soup at some point this week.

I am wearing… black Arabic shirt and blue striped pajama bottoms.

I am creating… my NaNo piece and some prayer shawls (the secret came out).

I am going… to hopefully grab a shower tonight.

I am wondering… how awful a person’s life had to be for them to shoot and wound a CHP officer and then be shot by cops for refusing to show their hands. (Story here.)

I am reading… still Shirt of Flame by Heather King though I did just finish Time Crunch by Diane Mott Davidson.

I am hoping… we can get some occupational therapy rescheduled this week.

I am looking forward to… Thanksgiving with my parents, brother, and sister-in-law.

I am hearing… Daniel’s LeapPad and “Willa’s Wild Life” on TV.

Around the house… just did a sink of dishes. More to do once those dry. I really want an automatic dishwasher.

I am pondering… plot things for my NaNo piece.

One of my favorite things… “Hart of Dixie” on the CW. I wish it was 2 hours long or that I had the season on DVR because it’s a great show in which to lose myself.

A few plans for the rest of the week… physical therapy tomorrow, peds appointment on Wednesday, WIC and nutritionist on Thursday, and hopefully some reading time on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

7 Quick Takes — Purging My Brain

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7 Quick Takes

This is a week of quick takes for purging my brain, It’s been crazy here and I have too much ruminating in my head.

— 1 —

I’m almost done with Shirt of Flame: A Year with St. Therese of Lisieux by Heather King. It’s been an interesting read and I have 3 chapters (October to December) to go. I highly recommend it as I believe King stays true to the spirit of St. Therese’s writings. I got mine from Barnes & Noble though Amazon also has it and has a Kindle version available.

— 2 —

NaNo has been going well. I’ve been able to keep up with my word counts though I need to find some things for my characters to do. This is my first year of writing straight fiction instead of a murder mystery so it’s been interesting.

— 3 —

We’re prepping for Daniel’s yearly IFSP. “IFSP” stands for “Individualized Family Services Plan” and it’s essentially an IEP for the Regional Center in California when they’re providing early intervention services for kids like Daniel. It involves reports from his occupational, physical, and speech therapists as well as a status report on where things are medically. The meeting with our case worker from the Regional Center is the 22nd and I’ll be doing LOTS of cleaning before that.

— 4 —

My Christian witness is being completely eroded by having to drive in Sacramento. OK… not just Sac but also around town. We’ve got teenagers who are under the mistaken impression that they are the only ones on the roads, people who drive according to the rules of their country of origin, and the traffic mess that are the Tuesday and Wednesday markets. My horn has become my friend and I’m having to force myself not to use my driving finger. Geez… I live in a bedroom community of Sacramento, not a third world country.

— 5 —

We’re getting back to normal in terms of Daniel’s bedtimes. During the week Jon was gone last month, he got used to staying up late with me. It’s taken about a month to get him back to normal and the days when he doesn’t nap are actually the ones where he goes down with less of a fight. We’ve also learned that after his story and prayer, he’ll stay calm if we put some classical music or instrumental hymns on. (I recommend “Guitar Prayer” which is put out through GIA Music.)

— 6 —

I am seriously in love with “Hart of Dixie”. I wish we had it on DVR so I could watch hours of it on end. Oh well… I could probably go onto the CW website and do it. Still, I find myself wishing that each episode was two hours long because I find myself getting lost in them.

— 7 —

I was totally amused by CBS actors/actresses taking over Facebook and Twitter this week on the day of their big shows. My favorite was probably Mayim Bialek talking about her character and how it worked out. She’s actually a neuroscientist in real life and they actually changed the character of Amy Farrah Fowler to reflect that.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: November 8, 2011

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY October 8, 2011

Outside my window… dark. Daniel didn’t take a traditional nap so I didn’t get to do this earlier.

I am thinking… about something that a Canadian friend asked me regarding the healthcare debacle. Paraphrased: “Why are people so against paying money into a fund to help out other people?”

I am thankful… for the moms who disciplined their kids who pushed Daniel aside or pushed ahead of him during our playground date for physical therapy.

In the kitchen… jambalaya tonight from Zatarain’s and will make my family’s chicken recipe probably tomorrow.

I am wearing… brown long-sleeved stretchy shirt, jeans, and cat socks.

I am creating… secret crocheting projects and my NaNo piece.

I am going… to enjoy NCIS night.

I am reading… Shirt of Flame by Heather King.

I am hoping… speech therapy goes well tomorrow.

I am looking forward to… my massage on Friday.

I am hearing… the news and Daniel squalling.

Around the house… furnace just got fixed.

I am pondering… many things in my heart.

One of my favorite things… Daniel snuggled up with me in the morning watching cartoons.

A few plans for the rest of the week… speech therapy, child development on Thursday, occupational therapy, and massage on Friday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook